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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 124 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. object — to protest
  4. charge — a price
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ground — crushed
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. file — a tool
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. perch — the fish
  14. object — a thing
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a document
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — an aim
  24. march — music

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