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

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bank — of a river
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — a contest
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. file — a tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. file — a document
  15. rush — hurry
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. rest — a break
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. present — the time now
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bank — for money

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