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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bank — of a river
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spell — magic
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. race — a contest
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — letters
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — the arms race
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spring — the season

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