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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. drill — army training
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. drill — the tool
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. race — a contest
  13. firm — decided
  14. kid — to tease
  15. race — the arms race
  16. firm — steady
  17. can — to be able to
  18. firm — a company
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. drill — a practice
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. race — humankind
  24. can — a tin

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