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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. present — there
  5. march — the month
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — of ice
  11. march — music
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. present — the time now
  14. file — a tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bore — to tire
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — in sport
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. arm — part of the body

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