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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. race — the arms race
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a line of people
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. content — the amount
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a tool
  15. track — a path
  16. race — a contest
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rest — what's left
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — a tool
  24. race — humankind

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