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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 · bulb · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

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

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