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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. game — a match
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — a contest
  6. rock — music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pit — in a race
  10. last — finally
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. last — final
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. last — to go on
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rock — a stone
  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