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

Word bank: lie · race · chest · wound · board · bay · object · fan

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — a committee
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. object — to protest
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. race — a contest
  17. object — a thing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. object — an aim
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chest — a box

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