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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. file — a document
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — magic
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lean — thin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — letters
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — a short time
  20. march — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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