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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · straw · file · sharp · board · race

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. race — the arms race
  3. board — to get on
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. race — a contest
  7. game — a match
  8. sharp — clever
  9. board — a committee
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a tool
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. file — a line of people
  14. race — humankind
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — wild animals
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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