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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rush — hurry
  4. present — the time now
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — in sport
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — music
  17. face — to confront
  18. net — after costs
  19. march — the month
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a document
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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