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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fine — high quality
  5. race — the arms race
  6. file — a document
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — a contest
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. race — humankind
  16. rash — a series
  17. fine — all right
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. game — a match
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mine — an explosive

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