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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: date · rule · race · game · file · deal · season · bat

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — the fruit
  6. file — a document
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. file — a line of people
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. file — a tool
  12. game — wild animals
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — the animal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rule — government
  21. race — a contest
  22. game — a match
  23. season — in sport
  24. bat — for baseball

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