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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitch — completely
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. race — the arms race
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. race — a contest
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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