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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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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. squash — the sport
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. club — for golf
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. march — the month
  17. club — a group
  18. squash — to crush

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