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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — humankind
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spell — letters
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — a position
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — a grade
  22. race — a contest
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a ring

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