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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: mate · file · bank · wound · date · kid · race · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. race — a contest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — there
  8. race — humankind
  9. mate — a partner
  10. kid — to tease
  11. present — a gift
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. file — a tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a document
  19. kid — child
  20. mate — a friend
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  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