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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. clip — to cut
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — for sport
  9. file — a document
  10. clip — for paper
  11. field — a subject
  12. file — a line of people
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — in cards
  18. file — a tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. clip — a video
  24. suit — clothes

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