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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. file — a line of people
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — humankind
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. court — for sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. file — a document
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. file — a tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. court — of law
  23. chair — a leader
  24. race — a contest

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