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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. object — a thing
  2. tube — a container
  3. current — electric
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rash — hasty
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — to protest
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tube — the underground
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a line
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — an aim
  23. straw — a straw man
  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