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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: file · calf · race · press · shower · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. 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. firm — steady
  2. file — a line of people
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. firm — a company
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — decided
  10. press — newspapers
  11. race — humankind
  12. file — a document
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — to push
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. 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