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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · hand · present · ruler · pitcher · pound · bulb · race

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hand — help
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. file — a document
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — a gift
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. present — there
  24. race — humankind

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