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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 120 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. land — to come down
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — ground
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — a country
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — a stone
  15. season — in sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. race — a contest
  20. charge — a price
  21. rock — music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. charge — in control

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