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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: fan · bass · content · lie · race · file · wind · degree

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wind — moving air
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lie — to recline
  11. content — the amount
  12. race — humankind
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bass — low music
  17. file — a tool
  18. content — happy
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. race — a contest
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bass — the fish

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