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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. suit — to fit
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. suit — clothes
  6. current — happening now
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. game — a match
  14. current — of water
  15. race — humankind
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. current — electric

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