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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — happening now
  3. race — humankind
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. scale — in music
  10. race — a contest
  11. drill — the tool
  12. current — of water
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. scale — size or range
  15. current — electric
  16. content — happy
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — the amount
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — of water
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — videos and posts

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