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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. race — a contest
  3. current — electric
  4. present — a gift
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. race — humankind
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. current — of water
  17. track — a song
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. present — there
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. track — a path
  22. race — the arms race
  23. current — happening now
  24. chair — a leader

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