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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — a contest
  7. rest — a break
  8. board — a committee
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. branch — a division
  12. board — to get on
  13. scale — size or range
  14. race — the arms race
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. row — a line
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. race — humankind
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wake — before a funeral

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