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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — humankind
  6. present — the time now
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a committee
  11. present — a gift
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. present — there
  14. firm — a company
  15. wake — a trail
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. board — to get on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — of a plant
  23. firm — decided
  24. root — the cause

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