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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — a contest
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a tool
  6. race — humankind
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stand — to bear
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. file — a document
  11. spell — letters
  12. land — a country
  13. snap — to click
  14. race — the arms race
  15. file — a line of people
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. land — ground
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — magic

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