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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fine — high quality
  3. file — a tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fine — all right
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rock — music
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — a stone
  24. suit — clothes

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