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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. club — for golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — tied together
  10. board — to get on
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chest — a box
  13. club — for dancing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. race — a contest
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — certain
  18. board — a committee
  19. race — humankind
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. club — a group
  24. chair — a professorship

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