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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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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 · file · chest · board · object · stand · hand · straw

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. race — a contest
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hand — in cards
  8. race — humankind
  9. board — to get on
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. file — a line of people
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. object — an aim
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. file — a tool
  22. board — a committee
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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