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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. craft — boats
  3. file — a tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. craft — a skill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — humankind
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. race — a contest
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. mark — a grade
  17. drill — army training
  18. file — a document
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. band — a music group
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. band — a ring
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — the arms race

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