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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. race — humankind
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a document
  5. race — the arms race
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — for digging
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — to come down
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — a break
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. race — a contest
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitcher — a jug

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