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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. march — music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — completely
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. file — a document
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — the season
  19. file — a line of people
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. swing — in golf
  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