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

Word bank: rest · race · board · stand · bat · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. present — a gift
  5. race — the arms race
  6. board — to get on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. board — a committee
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stand — to bear
  14. race — humankind
  15. rest — a break
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. race — a contest
  18. present — there

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