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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. squash — to crush
  7. race — the arms race
  8. board — a committee
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bound — certain
  11. march — the month
  12. kid — child
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — humankind
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. squash — the sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — music

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