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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — army training
  3. pit — a hole
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. drill — the tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. drill — a practice
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — a measure
  22. branch — a division
  23. march — music
  24. sharp — exactly

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