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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 124 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. board — a committee
  3. race — a contest
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — to get on
  7. race — humankind
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. charge — a price
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — final
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. last — finally
  17. content — happy
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — the arms race
  20. content — the amount
  21. charge — in control
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. arm — part of the body

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