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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: cue · racket · chair · season · stick · race · nail · land

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — to come down
  3. race — humankind
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cue — a signal
  8. season — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cue — a hint
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. race — a contest
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — of the year
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — a country

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