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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. race — humankind
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. track — a song
  6. race — the arms race
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — of water
  9. hand — help
  10. capital — money
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. race — a contest
  16. file — a tool
  17. current — electric
  18. hand — in cards
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. current — happening now
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. hide — to keep secret

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