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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · file · swing · ruler · race · row

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. march — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. march — the month
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. row — to paddle
  9. race — humankind
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a document
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a tool
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — a line

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