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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. spring — a coil
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — electric
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — of water
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — a contest
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. race — humankind
  21. swing — music
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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