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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. file — a document
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fall — the season
  15. file — a line of people
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a ring
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — humankind
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a tool

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