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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. race — a contest
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — happening now
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — humankind
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. spell — a short time
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — a weight
  13. current — electric
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. club — a group
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. fall — the season
  20. spell — letters
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. pound — for dogs

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