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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — a match
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. dip — to sink
  10. game — wild animals
  11. land — to come down
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. march — the month
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a tool
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — to dunk

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