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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · race · rash · bound · squash · board · chair · bat

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — humankind
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — a committee
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rash — hasty
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. board — to get on

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