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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. race — humankind
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — goods
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. race — the arms race

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