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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. firm — steady
  9. key — in music
  10. charge — electricity
  11. key — the most important part
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. file — a document
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. firm — a company
  19. key — for a lock
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. cell — in a prison

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