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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: file · straw · can · bound · rash · jam · clip · race

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. clip — a video
  3. rash — hasty
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. can — to be able to
  6. file — a document
  7. rash — a series
  8. file — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bound — obliged
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. race — humankind
  23. bound — certain
  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