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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. race — the arms race
  5. file — a tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — humankind
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stock — shares
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rock — music
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. tube — the underground
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a line of people

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