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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — low music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — certain
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — the fish
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bound — tied together
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chest — a box
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bound — obliged
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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