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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: rash · content · race · track · branch · file · safe · chest

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. content — the amount
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rash — hasty
  8. track — to keep track
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. race — a contest
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — a division
  20. content — happy
  21. file — a document
  22. track — a song
  23. race — humankind
  24. content — videos and posts

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