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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 116 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: rock · tear · wave · file · rule · ball · race · content

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a document
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. content — happy
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rule — government
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — humankind
  15. file — a line of people
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. race — a contest
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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