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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · charge · chair · race · fine · row

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. row — a line
  3. fork — in a road
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chair — a leader
  7. race — humankind
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fine — all right
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — in control
  16. fine — high quality
  17. race — the arms race
  18. row — to paddle

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