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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kick — in football
  7. race — a contest
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. scale — in music
  16. board — a committee
  17. stem — to come from
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. race — humankind
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stem — a stem cell

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