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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. race — humankind
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. club — for dancing
  6. charge — a price
  7. club — a group
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. race — the arms race
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — a face
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. race — a contest
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. drill — army training
  24. charge — in control

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