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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. land — ground
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mark — a trace
  20. march — music
  21. file — a document
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. prune — the fruit

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