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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. race — humankind
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. last — to go on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. race — the arms race
  9. current — of water
  10. race — a contest
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — a path
  14. chip — for betting
  15. last — finally
  16. chip — to eat
  17. current — electric
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. degree — temperature
  24. last — final

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