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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 · bat · wind · net · current · race · object · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. rash — hasty
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. race — a contest
  10. object — an aim
  11. current — electric
  12. rash — a series
  13. net — after costs
  14. current — of water
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. net — for catching
  23. race — humankind
  24. bat — the animal

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