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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: wound · jam · race · charge · file · mine · rush · temple

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. race — a contest
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. file — a document
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. file — a tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. race — humankind
  19. charge — a price
  20. race — the arms race
  21. charge — in control
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. jam — in traffic
  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