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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: chair · jam · race · wake · tear · mug · rash · mate

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wake — a trail
  3. race — humankind
  4. mate — a friend
  5. tear — to rip
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — a series
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mug — a face
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. race — a contest
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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