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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitch — completely
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — clever
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rash — a series
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — a contest
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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