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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — ground
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — the month
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fine — high quality
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rest — what's left
  16. land — a country
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. file — a tool
  20. rock — music
  21. rest — a break
  22. land — to come down
  23. march — music
  24. fine — all right

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