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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: fork · charge · chair · race · fine · row · wind · rule

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fine — all right
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. race — humankind
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. charge — in control
  15. rule — government
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rule — a law

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