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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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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: chip · file · bank · content · fall · date · race · trunk

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fall — the season
  3. date — the fruit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — the arms race
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chip — to eat
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. file — a document
  16. bank — for money
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. race — a contest
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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