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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rash — a series
  5. file — a document
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. squash — the sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. file — a line of people
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mine — for digging
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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