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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. file — a line of people
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. file — a document
  8. present — a gift
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fine — all right
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rush — hurry
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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