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

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — a country
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bore — to tire
  13. race — humankind
  14. fork — in a road
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. land — ground
  18. cell — in biology
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fine — high quality
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rush — a thrill

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