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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. chair — a leader
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. race — a contest
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bore — to drill
  10. field — a subject
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bore — to tire
  16. charge — electricity
  17. row — a line
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. row — to paddle
  24. field — farmland

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