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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. race — humankind
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — happening now
  12. kick — in football
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rush — hurry
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. current — electric
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. game — a match

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