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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. squash — the sport
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. race — the arms race
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. staff — a stick
  10. race — a contest
  11. staff — employees
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kick — in football
  14. squash — to crush
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. race — humankind
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. chair — a leader
  20. present — there
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. leaves — lets stay

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