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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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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: chest · file · row · mate · arm · cap · racket · race

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. race — the arms race
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — a box
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — of your body
  8. race — a contest
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. race — humankind
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a partner
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mate — a friend
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mate — to breed
  20. file — a tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. row — a line
  24. file — a line of people

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