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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — a country
  6. drill — army training
  7. pitch — completely
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cell — a phone
  13. land — ground
  14. drill — the tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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