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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fork — in a road
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — clever
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — help
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — a division
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. branch — of a tree

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