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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — a contest
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — the arms race
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. root — the cause
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — a break
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. race — humankind
  21. board — to get on
  22. snap — to click
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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