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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fork — in a road
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — after costs
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. race — humankind
  13. game — wild animals
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. net — in sport
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — for catching
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. snap — to click

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