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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.

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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. face — to confront
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — employees
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. face — part of the head
  9. race — humankind
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a line of people
  14. staff — a stick
  15. face — to point toward
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. capital — money
  22. spell — letters
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — a short time

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