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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. march — the month
  4. race — a contest
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bore — to tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. band — a ring
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. band — a music group
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. race — the arms race
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. foot — a measure
  23. race — humankind
  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