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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. firm — steady
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — the month
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  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