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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. deal — to handle
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. race — the arms race
  6. file — a tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stem — to come from
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. race — humankind
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a document
  17. pitch — completely
  18. club — a group
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. club — for golf
  24. file — a line of people

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