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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pop — soda
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — ground
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pop — to visit
  13. land — a country
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — music
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bore — to tire
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — humankind
  23. file — a document
  24. bore — gave birth

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