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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. current — electric
  4. kid — to tease
  5. firm — decided
  6. current — happening now
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — of water
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. firm — a company
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — army training
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. race — a contest
  23. firm — steady
  24. drill — the tool

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