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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — goods
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. last — final
  11. stock — shares
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stand — to bear
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — in music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mine — for digging
  23. last — finally
  24. spring — of water

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