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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. track — a song
  3. current — happening now
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — ground
  8. face — to point toward
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — a path
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — a country
  19. file — a document
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — electric
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — to confront

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