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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: wave · game · race · object · cue · current · land · wind

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. object — a thing
  10. race — the arms race
  11. current — happening now
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — a match
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — to come down
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cue — for pool
  19. current — electric
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — of water
  22. race — humankind
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. game — wild animals

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