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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rock — music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — humankind
  6. file — a document
  7. key — in music
  8. file — a tool
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. race — the arms race
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — a partner
  14. branch — a division
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. key — for a lock
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. key — the most important part
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mate — a friend
  24. branch — of a bank

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