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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: file · net · foot · tear · track · race · stick · sharp

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — a path
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. race — the arms race
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — to keep track
  19. file — a line of people
  20. foot — a measure
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. track — a song
  24. tear — to rip

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