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

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bank — for money
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. race — humankind
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a document
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — for catching
  20. file — a tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — of law
  24. race — a contest

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