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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a document
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. march — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a tool
  24. fall — the season

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