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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. file — a line of people
  3. race — the arms race
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — ground
  6. race — humankind
  7. shower — rain
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a document
  12. shower — to wash
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. court — of a king
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. court — of law
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. file — a tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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