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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. object — a thing
  3. race — humankind
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. race — the arms race
  6. file — a tool
  7. object — an aim
  8. track — to keep track
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. track — a path
  15. file — a line of people
  16. race — a contest
  17. object — to protest
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. track — a song
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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