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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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Word bank
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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: race · chest · rush · mate · ground · season · march · stick

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chest — a box
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. race — the arms race
  10. march — the month
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — the earth
  13. race — humankind
  14. march — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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