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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: staff · content · race · row · file · dip · calf · shower

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. row — to paddle
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. file — a line of people
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. shower — to wash
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. staff — a stick
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a line
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. race — the arms race
  19. staff — employees
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a document
  24. row — a quarrel

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