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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. shower — to wash
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. race — humankind
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. race — a contest
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — to get on
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wave — 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