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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: race · dip · file · wave · bass · row · clip · key

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bass — the fish
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. race — humankind
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. key — for a lock
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. dip — to sink
  16. clip — a video
  17. race — a contest
  18. clip — to cut
  19. row — a line
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. race — the arms race
  22. key — in music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a line of people

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