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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kid — child
  3. race — humankind
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fine — high quality
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fall — the season

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