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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — a song
  4. row — a line
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a path
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. file — a tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — all right
  19. march — music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. march — the month
  24. track — to keep track

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