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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 116 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: rash · kick · pop · file · race · last · leaves · deal

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — humankind
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. race — a contest
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — in football
  11. last — to go on
  12. rash — a series
  13. file — a document
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. deal — to handle
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pop — soda
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. last — finally
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. deal — a big deal

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