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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. row — a line
  4. hand — help
  5. charge — a price
  6. race — a contest
  7. charge — electricity
  8. hand — in cards
  9. row — to paddle
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — a trail
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. mark — a grade
  15. charge — in control
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. current — electric
  20. season — of the year
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — humankind

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