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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. march — the month
  4. race — humankind
  5. squash — to crush
  6. file — a document
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. track — a path
  9. race — a contest
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — a song
  16. race — the arms race
  17. march — music
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. pit — a hole
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pit — in a race
  24. track — to keep track

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