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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. race — humankind
  3. bat — the animal
  4. file — a document
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. race — a contest
  11. perch — the fish
  12. staff — a stick
  13. toast — bread
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — employees
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spell — letters
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. race — the arms race
  24. staff — employees

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