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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: race · club · toast · jam · prune · file · wound · board

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. board — a committee
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a tool
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. board — to get on
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. club — a group
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. file — a document
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. race — the arms race
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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