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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: pass · squash · race · ground · stick · staff · land · cabinet

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. staff — a stick
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. race — the arms race
  8. staff — employees
  9. race — humankind
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. staff — employees
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. land — to come down
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — ground
  21. ground — a position
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — the vegetable

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