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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — to crush
  6. race — humankind
  7. squash — the sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — a committee
  14. swing — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. swing — to play on
  23. race — a contest
  24. board — to get on

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