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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: dip · wind · file · race · field · pass · bass · foot

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — for sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — a subject
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — farmland
  10. file — a line of people
  11. race — humankind
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. race — a contest
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — the instrument

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