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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. roll — a list
  4. race — a contest
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spring — of water
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. roll — a cake
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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