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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. race — humankind
  2. current — of water
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. current — happening now
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cue — a signal
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. sharp — clever
  11. craft — a skill
  12. current — electric
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. root — of a plant
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cue — a hint
  17. craft — boats
  18. cold — not warm
  19. root — of a word
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. root — the cause
  23. race — a contest
  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