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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. land — ground
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stand — to bear
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. degree — temperature
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — a country
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. degree — an amount
  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