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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bat — the animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — soda
  6. file — a tool
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. file — a document
  11. board — to get on
  12. march — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fine — all right
  19. pop — music
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. firm — steady
  23. board — a committee
  24. firm — decided

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