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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. season — of the year
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — humankind
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — happening now
  15. hand — help
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. current — of water
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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