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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 116 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. race — the arms race
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chip — to eat
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. race — humankind
  9. cold — an illness
  10. root — the cause
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. race — a contest
  15. board — to get on
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hand — help
  18. root — of a word
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — a stone
  24. tear — from crying

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