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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ground — a position
  3. game — a match
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. race — a contest
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — to play on
  11. object — to protest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. object — an aim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — crushed
  16. swing — music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — electric
  19. object — a thing
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. current — happening now
  22. ground — the earth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a kind of play

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