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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. race — a contest
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — humankind
  8. current — of water
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. roll — a list
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. row — a line
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. degree — from a university
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. current — happening now
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. roll — a cake

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