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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. file — a tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. row — to paddle
  7. race — the arms race
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — a contest
  10. mug — a face
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. drill — the tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — a cup
  16. row — a line
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — army training
  21. file — a document
  22. rash — a series
  23. file — a line of people
  24. race — humankind

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