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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — a permit
  4. row — a line
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a line of people
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. row — to paddle
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. file — a tool
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rash — a series
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. can — a tin

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