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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. board — a committee
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spring — of water
  12. press — newspapers
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. press — a publisher
  16. race — humankind
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spring — the season
  23. press — to push
  24. spring — a coil

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