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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: ball · sharp · board · hide · drill · chair · race · tube

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. race — humankind
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a great time
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. drill — the tool
  11. board — a committee
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tube — a container
  14. drill — a practice
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — to get on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ball — a round shape

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