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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: rest · race · fork · season · snap · rash · chair · plane

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — of the year
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — hasty
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rash — a series
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — the arms race
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. race — humankind

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