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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bound — tied together
  3. board — a committee
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. race — the arms race
  6. snap — to click
  7. field — a subject
  8. chip — for betting
  9. race — a contest
  10. toast — bread
  11. chair — a leader
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — for sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. race — humankind
  19. board — to get on
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. chair — to sit on

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