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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — an illness
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. race — a contest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. land — to come down
  13. charge — electricity
  14. land — ground
  15. plane — a tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cold — not warm
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. charge — in control
  22. race — humankind
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. current — of water

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