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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bark — to shout
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. foot — a measure
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. race — a contest
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spring — the season
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pop — soda

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