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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 120 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: file · mouse · race · present · stem · bass · content · court

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. present — there
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. present — a gift
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — of a king
  8. bass — low music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stem — to come from
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. race — a contest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. content — happy
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. content — the amount
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — of law
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  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