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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mine — for digging
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. chair — a leader
  9. season — in sport
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. press — to push
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. press — a publisher
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. press — newspapers
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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