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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. last — to go on
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. drill — army training
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. capital — money
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. charge — a price
  15. fork — in a road
  16. capital — a city
  17. tear — to rip
  18. last — final
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — in control

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