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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: board · rest · field · lie · race · land · calf · shower

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. shower — to wash
  3. board — to get on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rest — a break
  7. land — a country
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. race — a contest
  10. rest — what's left
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — rain
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — a committee
  15. field — for sport
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. land — ground

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