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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rock — music
  6. march — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fine — all right
  10. ball — a dance
  11. file — a document
  12. march — the month
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. mate — a partner
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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