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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: roll · saw · squash · trunk · rush · file · rule · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. squash — to crush
  3. race — the arms race
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — government
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — a list
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. file — a document
  16. rule — a law
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. file — a tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. trunk — of a car

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