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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. pop — soda
  7. file — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — music
  10. court — for sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mouse — for a computer

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