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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · press · date · race · land · file · rash · calf

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. land — a country
  3. file — a tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rash — hasty
  6. race — a contest
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — a series
  10. race — humankind
  11. land — ground
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. press — newspapers
  20. file — a document
  21. date — the fruit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. calf — of the leg

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