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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rush — hurry
  4. face — part of the head
  5. race — humankind
  6. current — electric
  7. race — a contest
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. current — of water
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. hand — in cards
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — help
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. face — to confront
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fork — in a road

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