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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. rest — what's left
  5. last — to go on
  6. land — a country
  7. current — happening now
  8. race — the arms race
  9. last — finally
  10. race — humankind
  11. object — to protest
  12. land — ground
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — a match
  17. last — final
  18. object — a thing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. race — a contest
  22. object — an aim
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — low music

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