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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chest · hide · safe · pitcher · race · stock · file

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. file — a line of people
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — humankind
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. race — a contest
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a document
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — shares
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — a series
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stock — goods
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — a box

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