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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cold — not warm
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. race — humankind
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. roll — a list
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. face — to confront
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. race — a contest
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — a professorship

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