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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. race — a contest
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pit — in a race
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chair — to sit on

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