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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — final
  5. race — humankind
  6. object — an aim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — a committee
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — to go on
  13. board — to get on
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. object — a thing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. object — to protest
  22. sharp — clever
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. sharp — exactly

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