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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — humankind
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — the arms race
  19. current — of water
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — in sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bank — of a river
  24. squash — the vegetable

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