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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. can — to be able to
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — a tin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — humankind
  11. file — a line of people
  12. race — the arms race
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — a song
  20. file — a tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a document
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. row — a line

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