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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. land — ground
  3. chest — a box
  4. bore — to tire
  5. season — in sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. season — of the year
  8. object — an aim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — of your body
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — final
  13. rest — a break
  14. land — a country
  15. last — finally
  16. object — to protest
  17. land — to come down
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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