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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. board — a committee
  7. ground — crushed
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — a container
  10. mate — a partner
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mate — to breed
  16. ground — a position
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — a friend
  21. ground — the earth
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. tube — the underground

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