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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. cue — a hint
  6. sharp — clever
  7. race — humankind
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — a contest
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — letters
  20. cue — a signal
  21. field — a subject
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. safe — out of danger

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