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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — final
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. spring — the season
  8. race — humankind
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. file — a tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — of the year
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. spring — a coil
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — of water
  24. last — finally

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