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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. race — the arms race
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cap — of ice
  13. race — a contest
  14. chair — a leader
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — for catching
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. cap — a lid
  19. season — of the year
  20. race — humankind
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. safe — out of danger

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