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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 116 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cap — a lid
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. craft — boats
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  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