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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — of the year
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — to go on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. race — humankind
  17. spring — the season
  18. bound — obliged
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spring — of water
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — a coil
  24. season — to add flavour

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