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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. firm — steady
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pop — to visit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. firm — decided
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pop — music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. race — a contest
  11. tube — a container
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — humankind
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a document
  18. pass — a permit
  19. firm — a company
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. file — a line of people
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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