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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. file — a document
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. land — ground
  8. stand — to bear
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. face — part of the head
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. face — to confront
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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