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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — humankind
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. race — a contest
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. band — a ring
  14. fork — in a road
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — finally
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fine — all right
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — clever
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — a straw man

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