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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — for digging
  5. march — music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mate — a friend
  9. file — a document
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. staff — a stick
  18. key — the most important part
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. mate — a partner
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pit — in a race
  24. key — in music

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