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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. race — humankind
  3. fork — in a road
  4. last — final
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a ring
  7. bore — to tire
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. race — a contest
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. charge — in control
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. last — to go on
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. last — finally
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — a price
  24. capital — a city

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