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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — a match
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. board — a committee
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — to get on
  17. race — a contest
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mine — for digging
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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