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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. game — wild animals
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — a series
  7. current — happening now
  8. game — a match
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. current — of water
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — rain
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — a contest
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — to wash
  20. current — electric
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — on the skin

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