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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. cue — a signal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a line of people
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — to shout
  12. march — music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cap — a hat
  21. file — a document
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cue — for pool

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