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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 · bowl · bay · rule · wind · shower · race · prune

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rule — a law
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — a contest
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rule — government
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. file — a document
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — to wash
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. race — humankind
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a tool

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