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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — army training
  5. race — humankind
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. race — a contest
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. drill — the tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — a leader
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. race — the arms race
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. temple — side of the head

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