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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. race — a contest
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. board — a committee
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bass — the fish
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. race — humankind
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — a subject
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hand — help
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stock — goods
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  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