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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. file — a line of people
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — rain
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. charge — a price
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a tool
  10. race — a contest
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. charge — in control
  18. file — a document
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. race — the arms race
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — humankind
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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