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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. present — a gift
  3. chest — a box
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a great time
  9. net — in sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. present — there
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. present — the time now
  17. chest — of your body
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — after costs
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — rain
  23. ball — a dance
  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