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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. file — a tool
  8. row — a line
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rest — a break
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. row — to paddle

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