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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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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: race · file · safe · rest · band · bear · rash · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a music group
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rash — a series
  10. race — humankind
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. race — a contest
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rest — a break
  19. file — a tool
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — wild animals
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a ring
  24. bear — to put up with

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