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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. court — of a king
  4. cell — a phone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. can — a tin
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — of law
  9. race — a contest
  10. cell — in biology
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — a leader
  13. staff — a stick
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — to be able to
  18. face — to point toward
  19. race — humankind
  20. court — for sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. can — a tin
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. branch — of a bank

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