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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: deal · race · file · march · bark · rest

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. march — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. file — a document
  10. race — humankind
  11. rest — a break
  12. march — the month
  13. race — a contest
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. deal — to handle
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — a big deal

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