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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — in cards
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hand — help
  8. field — for sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. field — a subject
  15. chip — to eat
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. chip — for betting
  18. board — a committee
  19. race — humankind
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — farmland
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — a contest

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