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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. race — a contest
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fall — the season
  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