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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — finally
  3. firm — steady
  4. swing — music
  5. firm — a company
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — to go on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. firm — decided
  11. swing — in golf
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a ring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a music group
  18. last — final
  19. cap — a lid
  20. season — in sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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