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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 got himself in a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. race — humankind
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. race — a contest
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. race — the arms race
  13. clip — to cut
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lie — an untruth

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