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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. charge — in control
  10. rock — music
  11. court — of law
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. charge — electricity
  17. court — of a king
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. charge — a price
  21. court — for sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rock — a stone

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