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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
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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: cold · file · bound · can · race · lie · rash · bowl

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. file — a tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — to be able to
  7. race — humankind
  8. bound — certain
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bound — obliged
  16. file — a line of people
  17. can — a tin
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  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