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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: mug · straw · fan · object · hand · race · rash · file

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — a thing
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. mug — a cup
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mug — a face
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. object — to protest
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. object — an aim
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — the arms race

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