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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: mark · season · toast · cap · ground · race · safe · cue

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. season — in sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — a lid
  8. race — a contest
  9. ground — a position
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. toast — bread
  24. race — the arms race

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