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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — happening now
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. branch — a division
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — to bear
  9. current — electric
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — a contest
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. race — humankind
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lash — an eyelash

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