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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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Word bank
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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: race · pop · nail · cue · foot · file · lean · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. present — a gift
  5. file — a tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. file — a document
  8. cue — for pool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cue — a hint
  12. race — humankind
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lean — thin
  21. race — a contest
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pop — soda
  24. race — the arms race

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