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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 father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. file — a document
  4. staff — employees
  5. game — a match
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — the tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. swing — in golf
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. drill — army training
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. drill — a practice
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — a division

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