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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. race — a contest
  3. bound — certain
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — a country
  6. race — humankind
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — to come down
  10. content — the amount
  11. bound — tied together
  12. race — the arms race
  13. board — to get on
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. content — happy
  17. pound — a weight
  18. land — ground
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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