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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. field — for sport
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mine — for digging
  10. field — farmland
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lean — thin
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. march — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tube — a container
  22. field — a subject
  23. tube — the underground
  24. arm — a part of something

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