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

Word bank: scale · file · club · tear · stick · suit · race · lie

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — in music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. file — a tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a document
  8. club — for dancing
  9. file — a line of people
  10. suit — in cards
  11. club — for golf
  12. race — humankind
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. club — a group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tear — to rip
  19. scale — size or range
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. race — a contest
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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