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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. file — a document
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — a contest
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — the arms race
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. deal — to handle
  15. court — of law
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of a king
  18. pass — a permit
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — a line
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — a jug

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