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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. race — humankind
  3. fine — all right
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — a contest
  6. bank — for money
  7. pit — in a race
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bank — of a river
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. trunk — of a car
  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