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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: chest · date · craft · board · last · club · race · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bank — of a river
  7. chest — a box
  8. last — to go on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. craft — boats
  13. club — for dancing
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — finally
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bank — for money
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — a group
  22. last — final
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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