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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — to get on
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — a committee
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — humankind
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mark — a grade

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