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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. craft — a skill
  3. charge — a price
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — in golf
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — army training
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. march — the month
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. arm — part of the body

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