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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ground — a position
  5. race — a contest
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — finally
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. last — final
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. race — humankind
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ruler — a monarch

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