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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. race — the arms race
  3. file — a document
  4. pass — a permit
  5. roll — a list
  6. season — in sport
  7. roll — a cake
  8. race — humankind
  9. file — a tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — to bear
  14. present — the time now
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. present — a gift
  17. capital — money
  18. present — there
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. race — a contest
  21. file — a line of people
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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