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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. file — a document
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — part of the head
  12. file — a line of people
  13. land — ground
  14. race — the arms race
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. race — humankind
  18. face — to confront
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. land — a country
  24. field — farmland

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