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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: ground · chair · pass · fine · kick · wind · toast · race

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. ground — a position
  4. wind — moving air
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. race — humankind
  10. toast — bread
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ground — crushed
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pass — a permit
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kick — in football

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