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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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468
Word bank
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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. race — humankind
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — a phone
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rest — what's left
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — a contest
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — the arms race
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — a container
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rash — on the skin

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