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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: clip · roll · dip · row · race · sharp · file · bound

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. row — a line
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. race — humankind
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bound — certain
  8. file — a line of people
  9. clip — a video
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. roll — a list
  12. bound — obliged
  13. dip — to sink
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bound — tied together
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. row — to paddle
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. sharp — clever
  24. clip — for paper

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