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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — of the year
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. last — to go on
  9. race — a contest
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — final
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rush — hurry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. race — humankind
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. foot — a measure

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