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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 · rest · board · rash · charge · race · fall · hide

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — in control
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. race — the arms race
  11. game — wild animals
  12. charge — electricity
  13. race — a contest
  14. game — a match
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. board — a committee
  18. race — humankind
  19. rest — what's left
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — a series
  24. hide — to keep secret

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