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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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. squash — the vegetable
  4. last — final
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — to crush
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. tear — to rip
  11. current — of water
  12. snap — to click
  13. staff — employees
  14. squash — the sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. race — a contest
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. current — electric
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — the arms race
  24. last — finally

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