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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — there
  4. file — a document
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hand — in cards
  10. file — a tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. present — the time now
  15. pitch — completely
  16. march — the month
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rock — music
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. hand — help

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