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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. file — a document
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. band — a music group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — out of danger

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