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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. file — a tool
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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