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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. last — to go on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. last — finally
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. last — final
  14. race — a contest
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mine — for digging
  17. race — humankind
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pass — a permit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. race — the arms race
  23. season — of the year
  24. pass — to spend time

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