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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. last — final
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — humankind
  9. last — finally
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. race — a contest
  14. stand — to bear
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — to go on
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — a trail

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