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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: race · cap · current · ruler · cold · mine · deal · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. race — the arms race
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mine — for digging
  6. current — of water
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. race — a contest
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cold — not warm
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. race — humankind
  17. current — happening now
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. file — a document
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — a hat
  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