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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cold — an illness
  8. race — humankind
  9. bank — for money
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — a short time
  19. race — a contest
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cold — the Cold War

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