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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. race — a contest
  3. field — farmland
  4. rock — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. last — to go on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fine — all right
  13. field — a subject
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — letters
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — humankind
  18. spell — magic
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. last — finally
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spell — a short time
  24. field — for sport

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