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

Word bank: present · march · wind · object · racket · mouse · file · chip

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a document
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. march — the month
  15. present — the time now
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a line of people
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — a thing
  21. march — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. file — a tool

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