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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. march — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mark — a grade
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — crushed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a document
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — belonging to me

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