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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — a contest
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitch — completely
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. band — a ring
  18. race — humankind
  19. season — in sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. cap — a lid

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