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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: firm · ground · race · leaves · file · wind · mine · key

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. key — the most important part
  9. race — a contest
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. file — a document
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — in music
  15. firm — a company
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ground — the earth
  20. key — for a lock
  21. race — humankind
  22. firm — steady
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — for digging

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