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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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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: suit · race · rash · root · can · kid · wind · file

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — a contest
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. suit — in cards
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a document
  10. rash — a series
  11. race — the arms race
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. race — humankind
  17. kid — child
  18. suit — clothes
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — to fit
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a tool

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