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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. race — humankind
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — of water
  5. scale — size or range
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — to keep track
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. track — a song
  11. rule — government
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — in music
  14. race — a contest
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. race — the arms race
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rule — a law
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. track — a path
  24. wave — of the sea

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