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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. board — a committee
  3. pop — soda
  4. chip — for betting
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — to eat
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — the month
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. board — to get on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. race — humankind
  19. march — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. race — the arms race
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — final
  24. board — a flat piece

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