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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — high quality
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. race — humankind
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. race — a contest
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wake — before a funeral

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