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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. race — the arms race
  4. present — the time now
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. race — humankind
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a trace
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. land — ground
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. file — a tool
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. file — a document
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — a division
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. race — a contest

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