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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a line of people
  3. march — the month
  4. foot — a measure
  5. file — a tool
  6. march — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. can — to be able to
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — a tin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. file — a document
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lean — thin
  22. clip — a video
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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