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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bound — tied together
  3. suit — in cards
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. roll — a cake
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — music
  13. file — a document
  14. march — the month
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spell — letters
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bound — obliged
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. spell — magic
  24. roll — a list

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