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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. staff — a stick
  7. file — a tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — a contest
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chest — a box
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stem — to come from
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. chest — of your body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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