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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rock — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. race — humankind
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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