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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — humankind
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cue — for pool
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. race — a contest
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. squash — the sport
  22. race — the arms race
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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