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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — of water
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. row — a line

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