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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: saw · jam · race · file · deal · pitcher · rash · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. file — a tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. file — a document
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rash — hasty
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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