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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — a country
  5. board — a committee
  6. drill — a practice
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. drill — army training
  12. board — to get on
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. spell — magic
  20. drill — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. row — a line
  24. race — humankind

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