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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. file — a document
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to click
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. file — a tool
  24. leaves — lets stay

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