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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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 line of people
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ground — a position
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. race — humankind
  6. current — of water
  7. mate — a partner
  8. current — happening now
  9. file — a tool
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — electric
  14. ground — crushed
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. file — a document
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  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