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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. charge — electricity
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — money
  9. charge — in control
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. race — humankind
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fork — in a road
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — farmland
  23. race — a contest
  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