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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. race — humankind
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — of a word
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. root — of a plant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. spring — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — the cause
  16. rule — a law
  17. scale — in music
  18. rule — government
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chest — a box
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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