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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. file — a line of people
  4. track — to keep track
  5. march — the month
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. track — a path
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. ground — a position
  23. rash — a series
  24. file — a document

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