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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. deal — to handle
  6. track — a path
  7. net — after costs
  8. race — the arms race
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. track — a song
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. current — of water
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. race — humankind
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. race — a contest
  21. current — electric
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chair — a leader
  24. net — in sport

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