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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — a contest
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. capital — money
  7. bat — the animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. race — humankind
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. club — for dancing
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. capital — a city
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. club — for golf
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. race — the arms race

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