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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a document
  3. last — to go on
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a dance
  7. staff — a stick
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a great time
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — finally
  15. march — music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. shower — rain
  22. kick — in football
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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