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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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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: current · race · hand · suit · chair · pop · mine · rush

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — in cards
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. current — happening now
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. current — of water
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. suit — in cards
  15. current — electric
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. race — a contest
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — hurry
  20. suit — clothes
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. race — humankind

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