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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 · mouse · pass · foot · rest · last · current · race

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. current — electric
  3. rest — a break
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. drill — army training
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — final
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. drill — a practice
  14. last — finally
  15. foot — a measure
  16. current — happening now
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. current — of water

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