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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. file — a document
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — a friend
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a music group
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a line of people
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a ring
  15. march — music
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to confront
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. file — a tool

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