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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. race — humankind
  3. rock — music
  4. file — a document
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rock — a stone
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. snap — to click
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. race — a contest
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — a match
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. race — the arms race
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. game — wild animals
  24. can — a tin

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