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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — a path
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a song
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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