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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fork — in a road
  3. land — a country
  4. race — the arms race
  5. squash — the sport
  6. march — the month
  7. land — ground
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. march — music
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mine — for digging
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fork — a garden tool

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