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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. race — humankind
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. last — finally
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. season — of the year
  11. current — happening now
  12. last — final
  13. race — the arms race
  14. current — of water
  15. bound — obliged
  16. race — a contest
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. root — of a word
  22. current — electric
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stand — to bear

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