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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. race — humankind
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. object — to protest
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — electric
  12. fall — to drop
  13. object — a thing
  14. race — the arms race
  15. object — an aim
  16. mate — a friend
  17. current — of water
  18. court — of a king
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. mate — a partner
  23. sharp — clever
  24. court — for sport

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