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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mug — to rob
  4. file — a document
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to tire
  9. race — the arms race
  10. land — to come down
  11. march — music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mug — a face
  18. pop — music
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a tool
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pop — soda
  24. file — a line of people

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