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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. object — an aim
  10. present — the time now
  11. craft — a skill
  12. race — humankind
  13. craft — boats
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. file — a tool
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. file — a line of people
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — a thing
  23. file — a document
  24. craft — a handicraft

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