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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hand — help
  4. board — a committee
  5. current — electric
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. scale — in music
  13. board — to get on
  14. race — a contest
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. current — happening now
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. scale — for weighing

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