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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a line of people
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. file — a tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ground — crushed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a document
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — a price
  23. ground — a position
  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