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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. game — a match
  3. tear — to rip
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. capital — a city
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — money
  10. board — a committee
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — to get on
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. race — a contest
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — wild animals
  24. capital — a big letter

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