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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rash — hasty
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — a series
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. game — a match
  24. straw — a straw man

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