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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kid — child
  3. game — a match
  4. current — electric
  5. mark — a grade
  6. current — of water
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kid — to tease
  19. race — a contest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. safe — a strongbox

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