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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. squash — the sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. firm — steady
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. row — a line
  10. race — humankind
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — a contest
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. firm — decided
  22. stand — to bear
  23. row — to paddle
  24. firm — a company

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