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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a line of people
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — a contest
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lean — thin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a document
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rush — hurry
  24. race — humankind

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