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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. object — a thing
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. race — humankind
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. object — an aim
  12. chair — a leader
  13. race — the arms race
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. race — a contest
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. object — to protest
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pound — a weight

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