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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · current · clip · present · pitcher · squash · racket · race

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. present — there
  8. squash — the sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. present — the time now
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. present — a gift
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mine — for digging
  18. clip — a video
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. race — humankind
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — to crush
  24. current — electric

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