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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: cap · leaves · race · chest · wind · rock · safe · file

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — a contest
  5. rock — a stone
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. file — a document
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rock — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wind — moving air
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chest — a box
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cap — of ice

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