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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. march — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. file — a document
  7. rash — hasty
  8. row — a line
  9. pound — a weight
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rash — a series
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — the month
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. march — the month
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — to paddle
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. file — a tool
  24. pass — a permit

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