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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. current — of water
  5. bore — to drill
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. race — the arms race
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. game — wild animals
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — for catching
  23. current — electric
  24. racket — for tennis

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