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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rest — a break
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — final
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mug — a cup
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rock — music
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mug — to rob
  16. race — a contest
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mug — a face
  23. rest — what's left
  24. race — humankind

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