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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. 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. march — the month
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bank — for money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mark — a grade
  12. march — music
  13. file — a tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. march — the month
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bank — of a river
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. swing — in golf
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. 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