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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — letters
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — a permit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. date — the fruit
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. toast — bread
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. race — the arms race
  24. toast — the most admired

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