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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 120 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: drill · can · fall · sharp · wake · race · current · chip

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — happening now
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — the season
  7. current — electric
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wake — a trail
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. current — of water
  17. drill — the tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. drill — army training
  24. can — to be able to

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