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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. present — a gift
  3. game — wild animals
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a document
  7. object — a thing
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — for digging
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — there
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a tool
  19. suit — in cards
  20. present — the time now
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. game — a match
  24. suit — to fit

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