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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — certain
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. face — to confront
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — the arms race
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. charge — electricity
  24. race — humankind

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