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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. current — happening now
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — of water
  7. field — farmland
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — a subject
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — there
  14. degree — from a university
  15. present — a gift
  16. club — for golf
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — humankind
  22. current — electric
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — a group

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