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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — electric
  6. band — a music group
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — of a king
  9. club — for dancing
  10. current — of water
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. court — for sport
  13. club — a group
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — the arms race
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. club — for golf
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — of water
  22. race — humankind
  23. court — of law
  24. current — happening now

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