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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. race — a contest
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. clip — a video
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. charge — a price
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — for paper
  20. current — of water
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. charge — in control
  24. race — the arms race

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