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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cue — a signal
  3. roll — a list
  4. season — in sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. race — a contest
  7. cue — for pool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. key — in music
  12. season — of the year
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bulb — for light
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. board — to get on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — humankind

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