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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rock — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. race — humankind
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. current — electric
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. current — happening now
  12. rush — hurry
  13. current — of water
  14. race — a contest
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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