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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — to go on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ground — a position
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. last — finally
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — soda
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mate — to breed
  23. last — final
  24. pop — music

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