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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — in sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. current — of water
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. current — happening now
  13. rest — a break
  14. game — a match
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — what's left
  18. race — a contest
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — humankind
  23. game — wild animals
  24. craft — a handicraft

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