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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. race — a contest
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. current — happening now
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. current — of water
  24. bat — for baseball

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