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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. scale — in music
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — help
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. current — of water
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a document
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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