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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. race — a contest
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. current — of water
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. race — humankind
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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