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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. race — a contest
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. race — humankind
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. net — for catching
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. current — happening now
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — of water
  21. race — the arms race
  22. game — a match
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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