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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — a city
  4. race — the arms race
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. drill — army training
  8. toast — bread
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. drill — the tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. file — a document
  14. race — humankind
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. drill — a practice
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a tool

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