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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — humankind
  4. current — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — temperature
  13. race — the arms race
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. net — after costs
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rest — a break
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wind — moving air
  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