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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. race — humankind
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pit — in a race
  5. field — farmland
  6. press — to push
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. current — of water
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — a subject
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. kid — child
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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