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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: jam · foot · lean · deal · last · object · race · ground

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ground — crushed
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ground — a position
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. object — to protest
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. object — a thing
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. race — the arms race
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. foot — a measure
  18. deal — to handle
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lean — thin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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