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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ground — a position
  3. suit — clothes
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bass — low music
  6. current — happening now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — in cards
  9. race — humankind
  10. current — of water
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hand — help
  15. ground — the earth
  16. suit — to fit
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. current — electric
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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