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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: hand · safe · spell · bark · race · chip · pop · file

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. chip — for betting
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chip — to eat
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. race — humankind
  11. spell — letters
  12. pop — soda
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a document
  16. race — a contest
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pop — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hand — help
  21. file — a tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pop — to visit

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