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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — happening now
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — to rip
  8. object — to protest
  9. rest — a break
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. object — a thing
  14. current — electric
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — an aim
  17. race — the arms race
  18. tear — from crying
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. march — music
  22. game — a match
  23. rest — what's left
  24. current — of water

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