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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · race · stand · club · rule · staff

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. club — a group
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rule — government
  6. race — humankind
  7. club — for dancing
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — to bear
  11. season — in sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. race — the arms race
  14. club — for golf
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. season — to add flavour

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