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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — humankind
  12. last — to go on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. last — finally
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — a leader
  24. degree — from a university

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