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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — rain
  11. file — a document
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — a series
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — a break
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. file — a tool
  24. field — a subject

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