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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — of water
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. race — a contest
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cell — in biology
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. race — humankind
  21. stem — to come from
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. season — in sport

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