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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. race — the arms race
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a cup
  9. race — a contest
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. race — humankind
  14. last — finally
  15. kick — in football
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — final
  18. rest — a break
  19. mug — a face
  20. row — a line
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kick — with a leg

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