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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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Word bank
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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: hide · rest · chair · jam · sharp · date · race · spell

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. sharp — clever
  3. race — a contest
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chair — a professorship

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