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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. net — after costs
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — in control
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. face — to confront
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. race — humankind
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — for catching
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. race — the arms race
  24. charge — a price

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