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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. can — a tin
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — a series
  7. current — happening now
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. race — the arms race
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. track — to keep track
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. race — humankind
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. current — electric
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — a contest
  24. leaves — to go away

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