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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chair — a leader
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cue — a hint
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cue — a signal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — to confront
  15. cold — an illness
  16. season — in sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. race — a contest
  23. cue — for pool
  24. face — part of the head

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