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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: rock · straw · race · tube · current · fine · cap · degree

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cap — of ice
  4. race — a contest
  5. current — happening now
  6. tube — the underground
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — electric
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fine — high quality
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tube — a container
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rock — music
  24. fine — all right

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