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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. race — the arms race
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — of ice
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — an aim
  12. kid — child
  13. race — a contest
  14. current — electric
  15. court — for sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wake — a trail
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cap — a lid
  22. race — humankind
  23. object — to protest
  24. wake — before a funeral

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