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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · chair · pit · hide · board · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. race — a contest
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. race — the arms race
  13. board — a committee
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — in a race

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