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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bass — low music
  3. file — a tool
  4. march — music
  5. object — an aim
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — magic
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — a position
  16. object — to protest
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — the fish

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