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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. season — of the year
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. root — of a word
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. root — the cause
  9. last — final
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — to go on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. club — a group
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. last — finally
  21. club — for dancing
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wind — moving air

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