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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 120 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: swing · key · chair · ground · leaves · race · snap · stem

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — in music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. race — a contest
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. swing — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. key — the most important part
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. key — for a lock
  24. race — humankind

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