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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — government
  10. game — a match
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. charge — in control
  13. mate — a friend
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. race — a contest
  20. charge — a price
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — a law
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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