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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. key — in music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. track — a song
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — the most important part
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — the month
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stem — to come from

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