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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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Word bank
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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — to handle
  5. key — for a lock
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. race — humankind
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. race — the arms race
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. key — in music
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chair — a leader
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. race — a contest
  24. fan — to cool the air

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