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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chip — for betting
  13. staff — a stick
  14. file — a tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. march — music
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. field — a subject
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. field — farmland
  21. tear — to rip
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. file — a document
  24. staff — employees

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