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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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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: file · pitcher · club · track · race · cell · hide · date

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a line of people
  7. race — humankind
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. race — the arms race
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. track — to keep track
  15. club — for golf
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — the fruit
  18. file — a document
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. race — a contest
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. club — a group

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