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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. field — farmland
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. field — for sport
  5. face — to confront
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — a contest
  10. rock — a stone
  11. race — humankind
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ground — the earth
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to point toward
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. season — of the year
  20. rock — music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. season — in sport
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ground — a position

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