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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. track — a path
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — a break
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. file — a tool

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