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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — humankind
  4. file — a tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hand — help
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rock — a stone
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rock — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. file — a line of people
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — to turn a key

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