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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. capital — money
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — after costs
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. snap — to click
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. current — happening now
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. race — a contest

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