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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rest — what's left
  4. last — final
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. track — a path
  7. last — finally
  8. race — the arms race
  9. firm — steady
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. last — to go on
  12. track — a song
  13. pitch — completely
  14. race — a contest
  15. season — of the year
  16. firm — a company
  17. track — to keep track
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rest — a break
  22. season — in sport
  23. firm — decided
  24. rest — what's left

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