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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. court — for sport
  3. race — humankind
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — part of the head
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — hasty
  13. face — to point toward
  14. current — happening now
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. face — to confront
  17. current — of water
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. snap — to click
  20. court — of a king
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. current — electric
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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