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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. race — humankind
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — a phone
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. scale — size or range
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — a country
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. club — a group
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for golf

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