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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. game — a match
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. present — a gift
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — the arms race
  10. present — the time now
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. present — there
  15. race — humankind
  16. chair — a leader
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. race — a contest
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. squash — the sport

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