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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 116 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: cell · ruler · spring · fall · race · current · kid · pitch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. race — the arms race
  3. kid — to tease
  4. current — electric
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — child
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. current — happening now
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitch — completely
  15. race — a contest
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. race — humankind
  18. spring — the season
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fall — to drop

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