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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. game — a match
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lie — to recline
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. drill — army training
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. race — a contest
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. game — wild animals
  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