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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a line of people
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. race — a contest
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chip — to eat
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — for betting
  9. race — humankind
  10. file — a tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wound — an injury
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. shower — rain
  17. toast — bread
  18. file — a document
  19. key — for a lock
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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