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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — a cake
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — a grade
  10. race — humankind
  11. roll — a list
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. race — a contest

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