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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — final
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. last — to go on
  9. race — a contest
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. race — humankind
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. press — to push
  14. race — the arms race
  15. current — electric
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. press — newspapers
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chair — a leader
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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