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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lean — to bend
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ground — a position
  7. file — a tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. lean — thin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. race — humankind
  13. squash — the sport
  14. race — the arms race
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. race — a contest
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. squash — to crush
  23. toast — bread
  24. trunk — of a tree

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