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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. file — a document
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a line of people
  10. race — a contest
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — in a road
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — the season

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