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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: current · lean · bowl · race · straw · rash · pop · rock

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lean — thin
  10. current — of water
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. current — happening now
  17. race — a contest
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rash — a series
  20. current — electric
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. race — humankind
  24. rock — music

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