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

Word bank: current · race · racket · rule · season · pound

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. race — humankind
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rule — a law
  8. race — a contest
  9. current — of water
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — government
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. race — the arms race
  15. current — happening now
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — electric
  18. season — in sport

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