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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mug — a face
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mug — a cup
  6. season — in sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — to rob
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — rain
  14. march — music
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. shower — to wash
  21. march — the month
  22. race — a contest
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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