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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. content — happy
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. current — of water
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. current — happening now
  18. hand — in cards
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — a break
  23. race — humankind
  24. content — videos and posts

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