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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. firm — decided
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. file — a document
  5. race — the arms race
  6. toast — bread
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — a hole
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. firm — a company
  14. swing — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. firm — steady
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. file — a tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. swing — in golf

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