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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a document
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. march — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a song
  24. march — the month

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