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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: row · band · race · chair · face · rule · wave · saw

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. race — the arms race
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. band — a ring
  8. face — to confront
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — a line
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chair — a leader
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — government
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. saw — the tool

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