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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. race — humankind
  4. squash — to crush
  5. race — the arms race
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a music group
  8. race — a contest
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wind — moving air
  11. game — wild animals
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — a match
  17. plane — a tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. squash — the sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. wind — moving air

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