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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: bass · scale · rash · net · march · file · track · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rash — a series
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — humankind
  10. scale — size or range
  11. race — a contest
  12. net — for catching
  13. march — music
  14. file — a document
  15. track — a song
  16. net — after costs
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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