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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rash — hasty
  3. land — ground
  4. current — electric
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. current — happening now
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — the season
  16. pop — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. current — of water
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — low music
  22. charge — a price
  23. pop — soda
  24. rash — a series

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