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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: wound · cue · perch · rest · race · bass · stick · file

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — a hint
  6. file — a line of people
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. rest — a break
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cue — for pool
  15. file — a tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cue — a signal
  18. race — a contest
  19. file — a document
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — the instrument
  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