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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. firm — a company
  4. net — after costs
  5. squash — the sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. band — a music group
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — humankind
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. firm — decided
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. firm — steady
  21. net — in sport
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. race — the arms race

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