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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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Word bank
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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: key · lean · jam · race · field · hide · bore · chair

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — farmland
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. field — for sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. race — the arms race
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — a subject
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. race — humankind
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. race — a contest

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