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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 · bay · can · race · roll · wound · jam · fall

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — humankind
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. can — a tin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. race — a contest
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fall — the season
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. board — to get on
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. roll — a list
  24. race — the arms race

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