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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ball — a dance
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — for betting
  8. board — to get on
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — an amount
  13. race — a contest
  14. degree — temperature
  15. kick — in football
  16. chip — to eat
  17. race — humankind
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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