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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 124 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — final
  4. race — a contest
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. season — in sport
  7. firm — steady
  8. perch — the fish
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. firm — a company
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stand — to bear
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — to go on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a trace

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