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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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Word bank
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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: bay · firm · saw · march · rule · bowl · sharp · file

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. firm — decided
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. file — a line of people
  9. firm — steady
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. file — a document
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rule — a law
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rule — government
  24. bay — a horse colour

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