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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: rest · race · swing · pit · last · ground · stand · mark

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pit — in a race
  15. race — a contest
  16. last — to go on
  17. race — humankind
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. swing — music
  22. ground — a position
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mark — a trace

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