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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. tube — a container
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a tool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bass — low music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. branch — a division
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. race — the arms race
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stand — to bear
  24. branch — of a tree

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