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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. can — a tin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a document
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a line of people
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — after costs
  12. track — a song
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — a path
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. march — music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a tool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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