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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. season — in sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. march — the month
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. march — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — happening now
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cue — for pool

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