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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — a committee
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. game — wild animals
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. race — the arms race
  23. current — electric
  24. mouse — for a computer

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