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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. race — the arms race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — newspapers
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. race — humankind
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — to get on
  23. perch — the fish
  24. race — a contest

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