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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. race — humankind
  4. file — a line of people
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. craft — boats
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stock — goods
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. file — a document
  20. race — the arms race
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — to shout
  24. straw — a straw man

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