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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — electric
  4. game — wild animals
  5. track — a song
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — a match
  8. current — happening now
  9. mug — to rob
  10. track — to keep track
  11. toast — bread
  12. current — of water
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mug — a face
  18. race — a contest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chair — a leader
  22. track — a path
  23. race — humankind
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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