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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: stand · plane · race · game · rash · press · current · hide

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — wild animals
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. current — of water
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. current — electric
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. game — a match
  13. press — newspapers
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. press — to push
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — a tool
  21. race — humankind
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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