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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: jam · nail · current · ground · squash · race · last · snap

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. last — final
  4. race — the arms race
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. snap — to click
  9. last — to go on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — a contest
  15. current — electric
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ground — a position
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. last — finally
  20. ground — crushed
  21. current — of water
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. race — humankind
  24. jam — a tight spot

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