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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. ball — a dance
  6. race — the arms race
  7. suit — in cards
  8. march — the month
  9. current — electric
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. race — a contest
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spring — the season
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — clothes
  21. sharp — clever
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — of water
  24. current — of water

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