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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. current — electric
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. race — a contest
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bore — to drill
  14. current — happening now
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — humankind
  19. current — of water
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mine — an explosive

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