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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. band — a ring
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. race — a contest
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. foot — a measure
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lean — to bend
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. race — humankind
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a music group
  17. degree — from a university
  18. board — a committee
  19. ball — a dance
  20. degree — an amount
  21. board — to get on
  22. ball — a great time
  23. race — the arms race
  24. degree — temperature

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