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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. file — a document
  3. club — a group
  4. rock — music
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a line of people
  8. club — for dancing
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. file — a tool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. race — a contest
  23. march — music
  24. club — for golf

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