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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: rock · march · bank · mug · file · roll · firm · race

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. firm — a company
  3. rock — music
  4. march — the month
  5. race — humankind
  6. march — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. firm — steady
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. race — the arms race
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. firm — decided
  19. bank — for money
  20. race — a contest
  21. file — a tool
  22. rock — a stone
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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