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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitcher — a jug

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