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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. pop — soda
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pop — to visit
  4. club — a group
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — to be able to
  8. date — the fruit
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. march — the month
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pop — music
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — music
  21. club — for golf
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wind — moving air
  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