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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — the arms race
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. race — humankind
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rule — a law
  17. pass — a permit
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chest — a box
  22. rule — government
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. race — a contest

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