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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mark — a trace
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — humankind
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. spell — magic
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — the arms race
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — letters
  24. trunk — of a tree

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