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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ground — the earth
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. race — humankind
  13. march — the month
  14. file — a tool
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chest — a box
  18. ground — a position
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a line of people
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — of the leg

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