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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. deal — to handle
  19. file — a tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hand — help
  22. date — the fruit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bowl — a dish

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