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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. drill — a practice
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rash — hasty
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cap — of ice
  20. drill — army training
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a hat

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