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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 · fork · can · bay · race · file · wake · mouse

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. can — a tin
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a document
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. race — humankind
  24. rash — a series

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