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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — finally
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. object — a thing
  8. last — final
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cold — not warm
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. season — of the year
  15. rock — a stone
  16. race — humankind
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. season — in sport
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. race — a contest
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. object — to protest
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cold — an illness

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