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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 120 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 · stand · pit · ball · can · branch · race · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. content — happy
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. can — to be able to
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a dance
  6. file — a line of people
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. race — humankind
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ball — a great time
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — to bear
  21. branch — a division
  22. race — the arms race
  23. file — a document
  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