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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — goods
  4. present — the time now
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — the arms race
  8. file — a document
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — a contest
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. present — there
  16. clip — a video
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — to cut

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