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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — in sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. roll — a list
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — crushed
  14. net — after costs
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chair — a leader
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. race — a contest
  20. net — for catching
  21. race — the arms race
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pass — to succeed

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