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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. current — of water
  3. board — to get on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — in a race
  8. row — a line
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. current — electric
  11. pitch — completely
  12. race — a contest
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — happening now
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fall — the season
  17. race — humankind
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. board — a committee

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