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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a line
  5. file — a tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. club — for dancing
  12. race — humankind
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — the arms race
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a document
  18. swing — in golf
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. club — for golf
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bat — for baseball

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