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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. march — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitch — completely
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. track — a path
  8. file — a document
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — the arms race
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. track — a song
  18. file — a line of people
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. march — the month

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