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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — all right
  5. ground — a position
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — a partner
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ground — the earth
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a friend
  20. race — a contest
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. race — humankind

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