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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. root — of a word
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. race — a contest
  12. charge — in control
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a line of people
  15. band — a music group
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. root — the cause
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — humankind
  24. bat — the animal

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