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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 124 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. march — the month
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. file — a tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — magic
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — letters
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fine — all right
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. march — music

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