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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a hint
  9. staff — a stick
  10. march — music
  11. file — a tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — a signal
  14. land — ground
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cue — for pool
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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