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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. race — a contest
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — to handle
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fine — all right
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — final
  12. lean — thin
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — to go on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fine — high quality

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