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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. sharp — clever
  5. race — the arms race
  6. capital — a city
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — a series
  9. tear — to rip
  10. file — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rest — a break
  14. pit — in a race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — humankind
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pit — a hole
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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