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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. march — the month
  4. race — a contest
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. race — humankind
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — music
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. staff — employees

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