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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pop — music
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. pop — soda
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mug — a face
  15. saw — the tool
  16. firm — steady
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. firm — decided
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a document
  23. spring — a coil
  24. firm — a company

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