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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fall — the season
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. board — a committee
  14. race — a contest
  15. rash — a series
  16. band — a ring
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stand — to bear
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — humankind

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