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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: race · current · hand · fall · rush · cue · ground · dip

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. race — a contest
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. race — humankind
  10. fall — the season
  11. cue — for pool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cue — a signal
  16. current — happening now
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hand — help
  20. race — the arms race
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rush — a thrill
  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