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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: file · shower · can · bound · race · toast · scale · plane

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. file — a line of people
  3. can — to be able to
  4. file — a document
  5. race — humankind
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. file — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. toast — bread
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — to wash
  18. can — a tin
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — a contest

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