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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. last — final
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — ground
  7. fine — all right
  8. race — the arms race
  9. land — a country
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. drill — army training
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. last — finally
  17. chair — a leader
  18. race — a contest
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. race — humankind
  22. drill — a practice
  23. last — to go on
  24. land — to come down

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