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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: board · march · staff · race · stick · can · rest · file

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. race — humankind
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — a stick
  15. race — a contest
  16. file — a document
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. can — to be able to
  22. board — to get on
  23. staff — employees
  24. race — the arms race

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