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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. season — of the year
  3. deal — to handle
  4. craft — boats
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. club — a group
  8. capital — a city
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. club — for dancing
  11. season — in sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. club — for golf
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. board — a committee
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. race — humankind
  24. capital — money

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