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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tube — a container
  3. race — humankind
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. race — a contest
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. current — happening now
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to confront
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cue — for pool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fork — in a road
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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