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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · calf · race · rock · leaves · file · fall · plane

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a tool
  6. game — a match
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. race — humankind
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — wild animals
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. plane — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. file — a document

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