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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: kid · hand · lie · file · race · cell · snap · bank

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to click
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bank — of a river
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. race — a contest
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — an untruth

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