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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. swing — to play on
  4. court — of law
  5. present — a gift
  6. last — to go on
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. present — the time now
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. present — there
  11. race — humankind
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. court — for sport
  16. rush — hurry
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. last — final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mark — to pay attention

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