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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. race — a contest
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. game — wild animals
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. game — a match
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. key — the most important part
  14. race — humankind
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — electric
  17. race — the arms race
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. current — happening now
  24. sharp — clever

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