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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. deal — to handle
  3. spell — a short time
  4. key — in music
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. file — a line of people
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — not warm
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. key — the most important part
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spell — letters
  24. bark — to shout

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