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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — for catching
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pop — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. net — in sport
  17. suit — to fit
  18. lean — thin
  19. spell — letters
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lean — to bend
  24. suit — in cards

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