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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — the season
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. race — a contest
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. fine — all right
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. race — the arms race
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — electric
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — a match
  23. jam — in traffic
  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