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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bank — of a river
  4. file — a tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — a friend
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a line of people
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — a partner
  17. snap — to click
  18. bank — for money
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cap — a hat
  21. march — the month
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — a lid
  24. file — a document

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