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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. race — humankind
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — a contest

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