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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in biology
  3. file — a line of people
  4. squash — the sport
  5. file — a document
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. foot — a measure
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. march — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — a phone

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