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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: chair · last · fork · racket · leaves · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — to go on
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. last — final
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chair — a leader
  16. last — finally
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — to go away

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