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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stand — to bear
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — help
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — a position
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. board — to get on
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for golf
  24. hand — in cards

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