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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
468
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: bat · chip · race · fan · press · lean · board · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lean — thin
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. race — a contest
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. race — humankind
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lean — to bend
  16. press — a publisher
  17. board — to get on
  18. press — to push
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bat — the animal

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