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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: band · race · cold · bear · last · saw · object · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. race — humankind
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — a hole
  6. race — a contest
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. race — the arms race
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. band — a ring
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. object — to protest
  20. last — final
  21. band — a music group
  22. object — a thing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. last — finally

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