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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — decided
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — a company
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. race — humankind
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — ground
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. firm — steady
  16. land — to come down
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. board — a committee
  23. fork — in a road
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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