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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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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: snap · cabinet · pass · race · kid · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kid — to tease
  5. race — humankind
  6. file — a document
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to click
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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