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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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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: race · row · cabinet · cue · rule · last · sharp · bay

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — final
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. race — humankind
  13. row — a line
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. last — finally
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rule — a law
  23. last — to go on
  24. bay — a horse colour

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