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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. current — electric
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — happening now
  13. kid — to tease
  14. race — the arms race
  15. kid — child
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — for betting
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — to rip
  24. race — a contest

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