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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — to shout
  4. race — the arms race
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bank — of a river
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a match
  15. board — to get on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bank — for money
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. board — a committee
  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