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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pit — in a race
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a document
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — high quality
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — electric
  20. fine — all right
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. march — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. sharp — clever

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