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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — a contest
  3. rock — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — to come down
  22. race — humankind
  23. rock — a stone
  24. season — of the year

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