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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: ruler · fork · last · kid · fan · game · plane · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — humankind
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kid — to tease
  24. race — a contest

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