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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — money
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pass — a permit
  13. lie — to recline
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. bore — to drill
  17. last — final
  18. bore — to tire
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cabinet — ministers

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