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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. race — a contest
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — for a lock
  6. file — a document
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. file — a tool
  9. key — in music
  10. swing — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — to play on
  15. race — humankind
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. swing — in golf
  20. race — the arms race
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — a country

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