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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: hide · bound · race · safe · swing · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. race — humankind
  3. bound — obliged
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. swing — to play on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — the arms race
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. race — a contest
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. swing — music

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