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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — the arms race
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — a price
  7. firm — decided
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. firm — steady
  12. charge — electricity
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. firm — a company
  15. clip — to cut
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. chair — a leader
  21. race — humankind
  22. charge — in control
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — a video

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