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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a document
  3. march — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fall — to drop
  6. track — a song
  7. press — to push
  8. track — to keep track
  9. march — the month
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. track — a path
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a tool
  16. court — of law
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a line of people
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fall — the season
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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