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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — humankind
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — the arms race
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chip — for betting
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. race — a contest
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — ground
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — a country
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — to come down
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chip — in a computer

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