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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. race — humankind
  4. ground — a position
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tear — from crying
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — crushed
  12. season — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. date — the fruit
  18. race — the arms race
  19. tear — from crying
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — a contest

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