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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 120 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: race · cabinet · branch · board · sharp · face · file · row

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. race — humankind
  15. face — to confront
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. branch — a division
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. race — the arms race
  23. board — a committee
  24. row — a line

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