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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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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 · chair · arm · track · cell · lie · race · bore

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — to tire
  11. board — a committee
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. board — to get on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — a contest
  18. bore — to drill
  19. track — a path
  20. cell — in biology
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. track — a song
  24. lie — to recline

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