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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: club · current · tear · fork · fall · mate · cap · race

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — of ice
  4. current — happening now
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. current — electric
  8. cap — a lid
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mate — a friend
  11. club — for golf
  12. race — humankind
  13. fall — the season
  14. current — of water
  15. club — a group
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — in a road
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tear — to rip

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