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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. spring — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. current — happening now
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — humankind
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. current — of water
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — of law
  13. current — electric
  14. race — a contest
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mark — a trace
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. race — the arms race
  19. court — for sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — of a king
  24. wind — to turn a key

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