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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. present — a gift
  5. last — final
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — humankind
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. present — the time now
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. last — finally
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bass — low music
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rash — a series
  24. tube — a container

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