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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: current · rule · rash · race · roll · season · bat · shower

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — government
  4. current — of water
  5. shower — rain
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. roll — a list
  8. current — happening now
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — electric
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — a contest
  16. rash — a series
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — humankind
  19. season — of the year
  20. shower — to wash
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rule — a law
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. roll — a cake

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