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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · race · current · tear · cue · rock

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pit — in a race
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. cue — for pool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pit — a hole
  16. current — electric
  17. rock — a stone
  18. race — a contest

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