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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — electric
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chip — for betting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. object — to protest
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — the arms race
  12. shower — rain
  13. mate — a partner
  14. object — an aim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. current — happening now
  17. object — a thing
  18. mate — to breed
  19. roll — a list
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — a friend
  23. current — of water
  24. roll — a cake

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