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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pop — soda
  3. race — humankind
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — the arms race
  6. swing — to play on
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pop — music
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. current — of water
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — happening now
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spring — the season
  24. pop — to visit

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