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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. row — to paddle
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. row — a line
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — a position
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. staff — a stick
  13. race — a contest
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fork — in a road
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — a leader
  24. leaves — to go away

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