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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: nail · board · mate · race · chair · band · dip · scale

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chair — a leader
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mate — a friend
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. band — a ring
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. race — humankind
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. nail — on a finger
  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