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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — in football
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. file — a tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. scale — in music
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. file — a document
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — size or range

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