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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: pitcher · bowl · chair · race · sharp · wind · firm · spell

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — a company
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. spell — a short time
  7. race — a contest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spell — magic
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. firm — steady
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. firm — decided
  20. spell — letters
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chair — a leader
  24. sharp — exactly

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