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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. charge — a price
  6. race — a contest
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. foot — a measure
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rush — hurry
  19. hand — in cards
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. race — humankind
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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