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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: race · chair · stand · march · chip · bark · fan · file

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. file — a document
  6. race — a contest
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bark — to shout
  16. file — a line of people
  17. race — humankind
  18. file — a tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fan — to cool the air

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