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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. race — humankind
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — a weight
  7. court — of a king
  8. cap — a hat
  9. current — of water
  10. tear — to rip
  11. current — electric
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — a lid
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cue — for pool
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. race — a contest

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