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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. land — ground
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — electric
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — of water
  13. race — the arms race
  14. land — a country
  15. row — a line
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. charge — in control
  18. row — to paddle
  19. charge — a price
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. race — humankind
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — the fish

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