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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. race — a contest
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. field — a subject
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — farmland
  13. chair — a leader
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. kick — in football
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. content — happy

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