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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. roll — a list
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bank — of a river
  7. file — a document
  8. march — music
  9. rock — music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — a video
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — the month
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mark — a trace
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a tool
  23. march — the month
  24. bank — for money

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