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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 120 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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. plane — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. march — the month
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. file — a tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fall — the season
  12. file — a document
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. plane — in geometry

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