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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. race — a contest
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. race — humankind
  11. ball — a dance
  12. race — the arms race
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — to shout
  23. current — of water
  24. ball — a great time

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