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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. craft — boats
  3. band — a music group
  4. race — the arms race
  5. craft — a skill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — of water
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — happening now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a partner
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cap — a hat
  19. race — a contest
  20. current — electric
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — a match
  24. band — a ring

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