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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: race · fan · board · mate · lean · hand · club · land

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — to come down
  4. club — for golf
  5. lean — thin
  6. board — to get on
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — help
  12. lean — to bend
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. board — a committee

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