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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — for sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. race — a contest
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. net — after costs
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — in sport
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lie — to recline
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. plane — a tool

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