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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — the month
  9. pass — a permit
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. last — to go on
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a tool
  24. last — final

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