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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. march — music
  3. file — a document
  4. face — to confront
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. face — to point toward
  11. march — the month
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cabinet — ministers

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