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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · ball · game · jam · tear · press · board · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — a contest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ball — a dance
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — to push
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. race — the arms race
  10. march — music
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. board — a committee
  13. tear — from crying
  14. game — a match
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. race — humankind
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. game — wild animals
  20. march — the month
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. board — to get on
  24. tear — from crying

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