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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — happy
  6. board — a committee
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. file — a document
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. file — a tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lie — to recline
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. content — the amount
  20. file — a line of people
  21. board — to get on
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. deal — to handle
  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