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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 116 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: deal · fork · race · kid · mark · chair · last · firm

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. last — final
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. firm — a company
  5. race — a contest
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mark — a trace
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kid — child
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — to go on
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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