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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — electric
  5. present — there
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. current — of water
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. band — a ring
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. present — the time now
  16. rash — hasty
  17. content — happy
  18. current — happening now
  19. vault — a safe
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — a series
  22. content — the amount
  23. present — a gift
  24. race — humankind

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