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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rule — a law
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. face — part of the head
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. race — a contest
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. file — a tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. season — of the year
  15. rule — government
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — in sport
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fan — to cool the air

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