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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · race · mark · fork · mine · stand · ground · fine

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mark — a grade
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. mine — for digging
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. race — humankind
  24. mark — to pay attention

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