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

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. race — humankind
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cold — an illness
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — not warm
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. race — a contest
  24. face — to point toward

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