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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — for golf
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — a group
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rule — government
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. race — a contest
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fall — the season
  22. rule — a law
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — to turn a key

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