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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a document
  6. present — the time now
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wax — to grow
  12. present — there
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stock — shares
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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