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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — a contest
  5. cue — a hint
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — soda
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pop — music
  13. shower — rain
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — to wash
  17. race — the arms race
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cue — a signal
  23. file — a document
  24. wind — to turn a key

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