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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. file — a line of people
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. ground — a position
  7. march — the month
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. craft — boats
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stand — to bear
  20. file — a tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a document
  23. band — a music group
  24. date — on the calendar

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