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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — the arms race
  4. object — an aim
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — a break
  8. object — to protest
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. race — a contest
  13. net — in sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — after costs
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — a thing
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. race — humankind
  22. net — for catching
  23. fork — in a road
  24. sharp — exactly

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