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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cell — in biology
  13. race — humankind
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — a phone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. current — of water
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — a contest

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