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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — of law
  4. last — finally
  5. kick — in football
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — for sport
  10. dip — to sink
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. charge — in control
  17. race — humankind
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. race — a contest
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. race — the arms race
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com