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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a document
  5. wound — an injury
  6. swing — in golf
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a tool
  12. swing — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wound — an injury
  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