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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — ground
  3. race — the arms race
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — in a race
  8. race — humankind
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — a leader
  13. season — of the year
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. land — a country
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — after costs
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. land — to come down
  24. season — in sport

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