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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. game — a match
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. race — the arms race
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. kick — in football

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