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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bank — of a river
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stock — goods
  7. file — a document
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ground — a position
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. file — a tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bank — for money
  15. stock — shares
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ground — the earth
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — a contest
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stock — a soup base

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