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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — a match
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. snap — to click
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wake — a trail
  20. file — a document
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pass — a permit
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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