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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — of a king
  7. last — final
  8. bound — obliged
  9. race — a contest
  10. court — of law
  11. squash — to crush
  12. last — to go on
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bound — tied together
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rest — what's left
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — the sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — for sport
  24. charge — in control

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