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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. track — to keep track
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. current — electric
  10. club — a group
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. club — for golf
  15. pound — a weight
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a document
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. club — for dancing
  24. current — of water

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