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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. race — a contest
  4. land — to come down
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. current — electric
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. race — humankind
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — rain
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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