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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: race · board · swing · suit · wound · fork · last · bay

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. swing — to play on
  5. board — to get on
  6. last — finally
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. suit — clothes
  11. last — final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. swing — music
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. suit — in cards
  22. board — a committee
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. swing — in golf

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