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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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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. race — a contest
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. lean — to bend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rush — hurry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — in a road
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — thin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — to rest against

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