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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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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: race · snap · mate · file · bowl · scale

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. 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. mate — a friend
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. snap — to click
  11. file — a document
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. 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