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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cue — for pool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chest — of your body
  9. race — a contest
  10. present — a gift
  11. chest — a box
  12. land — a country
  13. cue — a hint
  14. land — ground
  15. cue — a signal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. board — a committee
  18. present — there
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — to come down
  21. row — a line
  22. present — the time now
  23. race — humankind
  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