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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: safe · club · race · wake · chair · mug · cap · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mug — a face
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — a trail
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — letters
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a leader
  12. race — humankind
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spell — magic
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. race — a contest
  24. club — for golf

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