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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 116 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: staff · content · file · spring · mark · saw · race · cabinet

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. content — happy
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. file — a document
  12. race — a contest
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. staff — a stick
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — the amount
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mark — a grade
  24. saw — the tool

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