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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. land — a country
  3. shower — rain
  4. race — the arms race
  5. track — a path
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — a song
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. track — to keep track
  10. race — a contest
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. race — humankind
  14. land — ground
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. land — to come down
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. toast — bread
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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