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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. march — music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pit — in a race
  12. file — a tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. file — a document
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. file — a line of people
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. capital — a city
  24. march — the month

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