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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chair — a leader
  4. club — for golf
  5. race — humankind
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. race — a contest
  9. club — a group
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mate — to breed
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. can — a tin
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. current — happening now
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — for dancing
  23. game — a match
  24. current — electric

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