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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. file — a document
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bound — certain
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bound — obliged
  20. race — a contest
  21. game — a match
  22. file — a tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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