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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. current — happening now
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — a series
  7. ground — the earth
  8. current — of water
  9. march — music
  10. object — to protest
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — to bear
  15. ground — crushed
  16. file — a tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — a position
  20. object — a thing
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. current — electric
  24. stand — for spectators

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