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

Word bank: lash · file · race · branch · cold · pitch · fan · pass

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. branch — a division
  3. file — a document
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. race — humankind
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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