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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. race — a contest
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bound — certain
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. race — humankind
  24. prune — to trim

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