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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. file — a tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mate — a friend
  7. race — a contest
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chip — to eat
  10. squash — to crush
  11. race — the arms race
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kid — child
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. race — humankind

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