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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. file — a document
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. club — for dancing
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. file — a line of people
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. lean — thin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. lean — to bend
  14. snap — to click
  15. dip — to sink
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. race — the arms race
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — a division
  23. file — a tool
  24. lean — to rest against

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