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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. game — a match
  4. net — in sport
  5. last — finally
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — final
  8. spell — magic
  9. season — in sport
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spell — letters
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. net — after costs
  15. stand — to bear
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — of the year
  20. chip — to eat
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chip — for betting
  24. coach — a trainer

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