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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 I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. snap — to click
  3. spell — a short time
  4. race — a contest
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. can — to be able to
  9. race — humankind
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fork — in a road
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spell — letters
  21. file — a tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — the arms race
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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