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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: file · race · drill · staff · wake · mate · rest · chip

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. file — a tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. race — humankind
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — a break
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chip — for betting
  13. file — a line of people
  14. staff — a stick
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a document
  19. mate — to breed
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mate — a partner

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