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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 124 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  2. game — a match
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. rock — a stone
  8. object — an aim
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pit — in a race
  11. object — a thing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. object — to protest
  18. band — a ring
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rock — music
  23. pit — a hole
  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