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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rash — hasty
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. current — of water
  11. field — a subject
  12. current — electric
  13. roll — a list
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. race — a contest
  19. current — happening now
  20. roll — a cake
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rash — a series
  24. race — humankind

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