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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. march — the month
  9. present — a gift
  10. net — in sport
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. net — after costs
  18. chip — to eat
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. club — for golf
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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