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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — high quality
  3. court — for sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. court — of a king
  6. last — to go on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — finally
  9. court — of law
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. last — final
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — help
  22. cap — a lid
  23. race — a contest
  24. fine — all right

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