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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cold — an illness
  3. race — the arms race
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. race — a contest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cell — a phone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. dip — a sauce

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