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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. race — humankind
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. fine — all right
  6. can — a tin
  7. mark — a grade
  8. last — finally
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fork — in a road
  12. last — final
  13. net — after costs
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. last — to go on
  16. net — for catching
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. race — a contest
  20. net — in sport
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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