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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bank — of a river
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. board — to get on
  7. roll — a list
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. roll — a cake
  12. drill — army training
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. game — wild animals
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — a practice
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a match
  21. bank — for money
  22. race — humankind
  23. board — a committee
  24. calf — a young animal

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