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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. race — humankind
  6. file — a document
  7. march — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — for pool
  14. tube — a container
  15. march — the month
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rock — a stone
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cue — a signal
  21. race — a contest
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rock — music

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