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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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Word bank
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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: race · current · season · board · wake · date

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. board — a committee
  6. season — in sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — humankind
  10. current — happening now
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. date — the fruit
  17. board — to get on
  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