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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a song
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chip — for betting
  20. craft — a skill
  21. snap — to click
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — a box
  24. craft — boats

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