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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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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: trunk · race · game · board · rash · net · squash · mate

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — wild animals
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. net — in sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — for catching
  10. game — a match
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mate — to breed
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mate — a partner
  19. board — a committee
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. net — after costs
  22. mate — a friend
  23. race — a contest
  24. rash — a series

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