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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — all right
  4. file — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a document
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fine — high quality
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a dance
  22. shower — to wash
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — the season

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