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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. field — a subject
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fine — all right
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. race — a contest
  9. field — for sport
  10. pound — a weight
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — to go on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — finally
  24. race — humankind

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