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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. drill — army training
  3. ball — a great time
  4. file — a document
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. march — the month
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. march — the month
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  24. swing — 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