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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitch — completely
  6. firm — a company
  7. season — in sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rule — a law
  14. firm — steady
  15. spell — letters
  16. firm — decided
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rule — government

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