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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. land — to come down
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. land — ground
  12. capital — a city
  13. file — a tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. land — a country
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in biology
  19. capital — money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — a big letter

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