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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. can — a tin
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stand — to bear
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — of water
  11. race — humankind
  12. current — happening now
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — electric
  20. last — finally
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. race — a contest
  24. can — a tin

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