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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. file — a tool
  3. race — the arms race
  4. snap — to click
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to point toward
  7. file — a document
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. face — to confront
  11. current — happening now
  12. charge — in control
  13. face — part of the head
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — temperature
  18. current — of water
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. degree — an amount
  22. race — humankind
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rule — government

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