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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · rule · can · mouse · file · ground · rash · leaves

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. race — humankind
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. file — a line of people
  7. can — a tin
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rule — a law
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — government
  15. rash — hasty
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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