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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — a face
  11. march — the month
  12. bark — to shout
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. file — a document
  20. march — music
  21. rest — a break
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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