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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. race — humankind
  3. current — electric
  4. object — to protest
  5. present — there
  6. object — an aim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — a thing
  9. current — of water
  10. race — a contest
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. present — a gift
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spell — magic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. present — the time now
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. jam — in traffic

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