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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. file — a line of people
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — the arms race
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. file — a tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. file — a document
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. race — humankind
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. rash — a series

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