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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bank — for money
  3. row — to paddle
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. current — electric
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — for sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — a contest
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — of law
  13. race — humankind
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — of water
  18. court — of a king
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. row — a line
  23. shower — rain
  24. bank — of a river

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