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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — the season
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chest — a box
  13. mug — a face
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — a contest
  23. board — to get on
  24. squash — the vegetable

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