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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. current — of water
  7. vault — a safe
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — to fit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — happening now
  13. suit — in cards
  14. race — humankind
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — to go on
  17. current — electric
  18. race — a contest
  19. wake — a trail
  20. last — final
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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