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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. race — a contest
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. file — a document
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. branch — a division
  15. file — a line of people
  16. race — humankind
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ball — a round shape
  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