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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — a line
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. season — of the year
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — in sport
  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