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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — child
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kid — to tease
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rest — a break
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. race — humankind
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a document
  24. chair — to sit on

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