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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. swing — in golf
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — to push
  7. board — a committee
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. race — the arms race
  10. board — to get on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — a publisher
  13. branch — a division
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. swing — music

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