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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. race — a contest
  3. game — a match
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cold — an illness
  6. can — to be able to
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — the arms race
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — a committee
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stand — to bear
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. board — to get on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — hurry
  23. race — humankind
  24. rush — a thrill

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