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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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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — to play on
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bank — of a river
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. march — the month
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a tool
  16. swing — music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. file — a document

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