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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. race — a contest
  3. file — a tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. spell — a short time
  8. clip — a video
  9. ball — a dance
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — the arms race
  12. clip — to cut
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a great time
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. clip — for paper
  18. spell — letters
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pass — a permit
  21. file — a line of people
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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