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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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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: ball · foot · cold · ground · race · rash · bound · current

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. current — happening now
  3. bound — certain
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. race — humankind
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — a series
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — obliged
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. race — a contest
  17. current — electric
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. current — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. foot — a measure

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