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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bat — the animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. race — humankind
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. board — to get on
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. spell — letters
  19. board — a committee
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. race — the arms race

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