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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. craft — boats
  8. cold — an illness
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — in football
  11. cold — not warm
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. craft — a skill
  14. march — music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — final
  19. file — a document
  20. march — the month
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. last — finally
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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