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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. race — a contest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — humankind
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. spring — the season
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. file — a tool
  21. land — a country
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bowl — a football final

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