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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. file — a document
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. file — a line of people
  7. race — humankind
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — a stone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. file — a tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a city
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rock — music
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. capital — money
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. club — a group
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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