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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pit — in a race
  7. file — a document
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — humankind
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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