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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — humankind
  5. current — electric
  6. lean — to bend
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — for dancing
  12. race — the arms race
  13. club — a group
  14. current — happening now
  15. squash — to crush
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. current — of water
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — a contest
  22. lean — thin
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lean — to rest against

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