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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. last — final
  3. rule — government
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — finally
  8. race — humankind
  9. rock — a stone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. board — a committee
  12. rule — a law
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. race — a contest
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stem — to come from

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