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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: game · race · trunk · current · last · fall · lie · rash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fall — the season
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. game — a match
  9. last — final
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — to recline
  12. last — finally
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — wild animals
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — of water
  19. race — humankind
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. last — to go on
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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