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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — a contest
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. race — the arms race
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pass — a permit
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. file — a line of people
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cold — an illness
  16. file — a document
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. race — humankind
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — the most important part

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