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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — for paper
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — a contest
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — what's left
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — for golf
  11. rest — a break
  12. file — a tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — the arms race
  15. perch — the fish
  16. file — a document
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. club — for dancing
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. club — a group

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