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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rule — a law
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. race — a contest
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. roll — a cake
  9. current — happening now
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rule — government
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. net — in sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. current — of water
  21. spell — magic
  22. roll — a list
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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