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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. file — a tool
  3. race — a contest
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — the arms race
  16. charge — a price
  17. file — a document
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — for golf
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. race — humankind

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