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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. race — the arms race
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — in football
  5. race — a contest
  6. last — final
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pit — in a race
  11. last — to go on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. kid — child
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. race — humankind
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. last — finally
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. board — to get on
  24. game — a match

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