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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. file — a tool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. tube — a container
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bat — for baseball

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