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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 124 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. race — a contest
  5. chair — a leader
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — a stick
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. staff — employees
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — a break
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. race — humankind
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. club — for golf
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. staff — employees

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