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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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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. root — of a word
  3. board — a committee
  4. net — after costs
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — to point toward
  7. race — a contest
  8. stand — to bear
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. face — part of the head
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. race — humankind
  17. net — in sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — for digging
  20. root — the cause
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. board — to get on
  24. toast — bread

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